Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 319th day of the year. There are 47 days left in 2016.
Utahns back tax hikes to fund education. Donald Trump says he’s ready to deport undocumented immigrants who have criminal records immediately. Trump starts to name his inner circle.
The clock:
- 35 days until the Electoral College meets to cast their votes for president and vice president (12/19/2016)
- 67 days until Inauguration Day (1/20/2017)
- 70 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (1/23/2017)
- 115 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (3/9/2017)
- 358 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
- 722 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
Ten talking points for Monday:
- Most Utahns support hiking taxes to better fund education [Utah Policy].
- Our “Political Insiders” debate the implications of a Donald Trump presidency [Utah Policy].
- Donald Trump says he’s planning to immediately deport 2 million to 3 million undocumented immigrants who “have criminal records” after he takes office next year [60 minutes].
- Donald Trump names GOP Chairman Reince Priebus his new chief of staff while Breitbart.com’s Stephen Bannon will be his chief strategist [The Hill]. Bannon’s website, which has become a haven for the alt-right movement, now has an advocate in the White House [New York Times]. Bannon’s appointment drew a strong reaction from critics who are appalled at his racist and anti-Semitic views [NBC News].
- What will Trump do with Obamacare? The president-elect says he may not do away with a couple of provisions in the law, specifically, the prohibition against insurers denying coverage for pre-existing conditions and allowing parents to keep their children on insurance plans until they turn 26 [New York Times]. At the same time, Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway says he is considering calling a “special session” of Congress on the day he’s inaugurated to repeal the law [CNN].
- A forthcoming book about the 2016 election reveals that Donald Trump told New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in 2015 he expected to drop out of the presidential race before October of that year [CNN].
- Donald Trump calls on his supporters to stop harassing minorities [CNN]. Gov. Gary Herbert also condemns reported acts of bullying and harassment in Utah schools following Trump’s win [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
- Exit polling in Utah shows about 60% of Republicans voted for Donald Trump, but they weren’t happy about making that choice [Deseret News]. Trump’s support also was weak among Mormon voters [Tribune].
- The close race in HD 44 between Rep. Bruce Cutler and Democratic challenger Christine Passey has flipped in Cutler’s favor. On election night Passey led by 226 votes. Now Cutler is ahead by 49 [Tribune].
- Republican Richard Snelgrove takes the lead over Democrat Catherine Kanter in their Salt Lake County Council race. Kanter had a lead of over 4,000 votes on election night, but Snelgrove now leads by more than 6,000 votes [Deseret News, Tribune].
On this day in history:
- 1851 – Herman Melville’s novel “Moby Dick” was published.
- 1970 – Members of the Marshall University football team are among 75 casualties when Southern Airways Flight 932 crashes outside of Huntington, WV.
- 1972 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 1,000 for the first time.
- 1995 – The U.S. government instituted a partial shutdown, closing national parks and museums while government offices operated with skeleton crews.
